Why am I passionate about this?

I'm best known for the Amelia's Notebook series which are based on the notebooks I kept as a kid. I started using the notebook format because that's how I thought—sometimes in words, sometimes in pictures. But this was a long time ago, in the 90s when graphic novels weren't a common format. When I submitted Amelia to publishers, they rejected it, saying it wasn't a picture book, it wasn't a novel, so how would librarians know where to shelve it? A small press that didn't know any better took a chance and published Amelia's Notebook. It became a big bestseller, with more than 20 books to follow and started a new trend in kid's books.


I wrote

Talia's Codebook for Mathletes

By Marissa Moss,

Book cover of Talia's Codebook for Mathletes

What is my book about?

Talia has just started 6th grade and uses her codebook to figure out the new social rules of middle school.…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler

Marissa Moss Why did I love this book?

Hendrix tells the incredible story here of how a Lutheran pastor was part of the plot to assassinate Hitler—and almost succeeded.

This is history that's not widely known and the graphic novel format makes it into an accessible adventure story that's actually true. There were many plots to kill Hitler and each failed for different reasons. Yet there were brave people who were willing to keep trying.

Hendricks puts us in Dietrich Bonhoeffer's shoes, while also showing the depth of Nazism's grip on the German public. It took a truly exceptional person to see Hitler for what he was and to decide to act on that understanding.

By John Hendrix,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Faithful Spy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 10, 11, 12, and 13.

What is this book about?

Adolf Hitler's Nazi party is gaining strength and becoming more menacing every day. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a pastor upset by the complacency of the German church toward the suffering around it, forms a breakaway church to speak out against the established political and religious authorities. When the Nazis outlaw the church, he escapes as a fugitive. Struggling to reconcile his faith and the teachings of the Bible with the Nazi Party's evil agenda, Bonhoeffer decides that Hitler must be stopped by any means possible!

In his signature style of interwoven handwritten text and art, John Hendrix tells the true story of…


Book cover of Oliver's Great Big Universe

Marissa Moss Why did I love this book?

Anyone who uses an 11-year-old to explain black holes and the big bang is worth listening to!

This is serious physics explained in a way we can all understand, mixed up with the usual life of an 11-year-old, It makes for one fun and fascinating read. If you think physics is too complicated to understand, this book will show you how simple it can be. Science made easy and fun!

By Jorge Cham,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Oliver's Great Big Universe as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

Eleven-year-old Oliver wants to be an astrophysicist and explain the wonders of the universe . . . to anyone who will listen to him!
This brand-new fully illustrated series is perfect for fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The 13-Storey Treehouse and anyone who loves to laugh and learn at the same time.

Oliver has just started secondary school and is wondering how he will fit in with new friends, new classes, new everything. But at least there's one thing that still makes sense: science! Determined to be an astrophysicist one day, Oliver explains everything he learns - like…


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Book cover of The Thing to Remember about Stargazing

The Thing to Remember about Stargazing By Matt Forrest Esenwine, Sonia Maria Luce Possentini (illustrator),

What is the most important thing to remember about stargazing? When to do it, who to do it with, what to look for? It’s none of those! This picture book’s spare, lyrical text offers many suggestions for enjoying stargazing – but there’s really only ONE thing you need to remember,…

Book cover of Class Act

Marissa Moss Why did I love this book?

Anything Jerry Craft writes and illustrates is worth reading, but I love Class Act because it's a realistic dive into all the social complications of middle school, how hard it is to figure out who you are and where you belong.

The best parts are the comic the main character draws himself as he tries to figure out who he is and who his real friends are.

By Jerry Craft,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Class Act as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

New York Times bestselling author Jerry Craft returns with a companion book to New Kid, winner of the 2020 Newbery Medal, the Coretta Scott King Author Award, and the Kirkus Prize. This time, it's Jordan's friend Drew who takes center stage in another laugh-out-loud funny, powerful, and important story about being one of the few kids of color in a prestigious private school.

Eighth grader Drew Ellis is no stranger to the saying "You have to work twice as hard to be just as good." His grandmother has reminded him his entire life. But what if he works ten times…


Book cover of Fault Lines in the Constitution: The Graphic Novel

Marissa Moss Why did I love this book?

Reading about how different parts of the Constitution came together, what the original framers were trying to do is a lot more fun in a graphic novel format. This book delivers a lot of truly important information but it's so easy to read that you won't realize how much you're learning.

By Cynthia Levinson, Sanford Levinson, Ally Shwed (illustrator)

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Fault Lines in the Constitution as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In 1787, After 116 days of heated debates and bitter arguments, the United States Constitution was created. This imperfect document set forth America's guiding principles, but it would also introduce some of today's most contentious political issues-from gerrymandering, to the Electoral College, to presidential impeachment.

With colorful art, compelling discourse, and true stories from America's past and present, Fault Lines in the Constitution: The Graphic Novel sheds light on how today's political struggles have their origins in the decisions of our Founding Fathers. Children's book author Cynthia Levinson, constitutional law scholar Sanford Levinson, and artist Ally Shwed deftly illustrate how…


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Book cover of Touching the Surface

Touching the Surface By Kimberly Sabatini,

When Elliot finds herself dead for the third time, she can't remember her past, is getting the cold shoulder from her best friend, and has no idea why she keeps repeating the same mistakes across her previous lives. Elliot just wants to move on, but first, she'll be forced to…

Book cover of Blades of Freedom: A Tale of Haiti, Napoleon, and the Louisiana Purchase

Marissa Moss Why did I love this book?

Nathan Hale picks historical episodes that you don't know about but should and presents them in this exciting adventure format.

Blades of Freedom is about how Napoleon Bonaparte was planning to invade America. If he'd landed the army he'd planned into Louisiana territory, we could all be speaking French now. But a small problem got in his way—a slave uprising in Haiti.

Could Haiti save America? Read the book to find out what happens!

By Nathan Hale,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Blades of Freedom as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

The 10th installment in the bestselling Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales series tells the story of the Haitian Revolution and the Louisiana Purchase

The Louisiana Purchase (1803) is today seen as one of history's greatest bargains. But why did Napoleon Bonaparte sell this seemingly prosperous territory? At the time, France controlled Haiti, and there, slaves were used to harvest sugar. But in 1791, Toussaint Louverture led the largest slave uprising in human history, the Haitian Revolution (1791-1804). Napoleon had originally wanted to use Louisiana for trade, but with Haiti out of his control, Napoleon's dream of making a French empire in…


Explore my book 😀

Talia's Codebook for Mathletes

By Marissa Moss,

Book cover of Talia's Codebook for Mathletes

What is my book about?

Talia has just started 6th grade and uses her codebook to figure out the new social rules of middle school. Dash, her best friend, tells her they can’t be friends anymore since other boys are teasing him that she's his girlfriend. Talia hopes that both of them being on the school mathlete team will repair their friendship. But things don't go the way she plans. Using codes, doodles, and puzzles, Talia tries to navigate the pitfalls of middle school and find a way to be a good friend and successful mathlete, all at once. 

Book cover of The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler
Book cover of Oliver's Great Big Universe
Book cover of Class Act

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Virginia Wouldn't Slow Down! By Carrie A. Pearson, Nancy Carpenter (illustrator),

A delightful and distinctive picture book biography about Dr. Virginia Apgar, who invented the standard, eponymous test for evaluating newborn health used worldwide thousands of times every day.

You might know about the Apgar Score. But do you know the brilliant, pioneering woman who invented it? Born at the turn…

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